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(Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The public cloud services market in the Mena region is on pace to grow 21.3 per cent in 2014 to total $620 million, up from an estimated $511 million last year, according to Gartner.

The information technology research firm also predicts that from 2014 through 2018, $4.7 billion will be spent on cloud services in the region, of which $1.3 billion will be spent on business process as a service.

As cloud computing takes the region by storm, businesses are advised to address privacy concerns with great diligence, according to industry experts. This cost-efficient method of granting remote access to information has led to an international cloud revolution, and the UAE is no exception when it comes to tapping into the unlimited potential of cloud technology.

"In a business environment, cloud computing helps increase staff collaboration, secure data, and reduce costs associated with on-premise assets," said Savitha Bhaskar, general manager of Dubai-based data storage and protection firm Condo Protego. "From a consumer perspective, the ability to access information anytime anywhere is a growing demand that businesses cannot afford to ignore and a determining factor of customer satisfaction."
Bhaskar added: "However, cloud services must be complemented by stringent security policies. This is still a fairly new technology, and so the regulations for it are still in their infancy compared to traditional forms of information storage, making it more vulnerable to exploitation."
The International Data Corporation expects spending on cloud delivery in the UAE to expand at a compounded annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 43.7 per cent over the five-year forecast period ending in 2016. From a regional standpoint, the Middle East and Africa region is expected to have the highest cloud workload growth rate from 2012 to 2017 with a CAGR of 45 per cent, according to the Cisco Global Index.